The inventive concepts disclosed herein generally relate to an apparatus for utilizing buoyancy forces and to methods of using the same. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, the inventive concepts disclosed herein relate to an apparatus for utilizing buoyancy forces by multiplying the lift of several alternating columns of a first fluid and a second fluid over several surfaces, and to methods of using the same.
The properties of buoyancy have been explored as a source of renewable or “green” energy because of the ability to use buoyancy forces in existing bodies of water without generating additional environmental pollution and greenhouse gases.
Existing prior art buoyancy devices typically depend on utilizing the buoyancy energy of waves, or moving waters, and as such have limited applications, as they must be installed at certain locations where waves or moving waters are available in order to work. Further, such prior art devices do not produce a consistent level of power, as the power output of such prior art devices is subject to fluctuations in waves, tides, and to seasonal water level variations.
Another problem with currently existing buoyancy devices is that they are often complicated and have multiple components, which require frequent maintenance and replacement, and are expensive to implement and operate. Further, such complicated devices often suffer from low efficiency and are generally unreliable due to their overcomplicated designs.